Patetok w



(No Model.)

P. W. COLLINS.

HAND RAKE.

No. 245,279. Patented Aug. 9,-1881.

I III I v zit z- N PEYERS. PlwloLilhognphe; Washington. 0. c.

NITED STATES PATENT @FFKIE.

PATRICK W. COLLINS, OF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF TO FREDERICK J. MEYERS, OF SAME PLACE.

RAKE.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 245,279, dated August 9, 1881.

Application filed May 23, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PATRICK W. CoLLINs, of Covington, Kenton county, Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand-Rakes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to furnish a light and durable hand-rake especially adapted for removing grass, leaves,&c., from lawns and gardens; and the first partof myimprovements consistsin forming the head and teeth of the implement of a single piece of wire, said teeth being bentand doubled so as to afford the strongest possible construction, and thereby 1 avoid rivets, solder, and other expensive and unreliable joints, as hereinafter more fully described.

The second part of my invention consists in twisting these doubled portions so as to afford 2o spiral teeth, as hereinafter more fully described.

The third part of my invention consists in applying a sheet-metal cap or binder to the rake, which cap is so bent around and crimped to the head and teeth of the implement as to afford increased strength and stifl'ness without adding materially to the cost of manufacture, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a pero spective view of the more simple form of my wire rake, a portion of the handle being sectioned. Fig. 2 is a perspective view ofa modification of the invention, the sheet-metal cap being shown applied to the rake-head. Fig.

5 3 is a plan of another modification of my invention. Fig.4is an elevation of apa-ir of the twisted or spiral 'teeth of the implement. Fig.

5 is an enlarged section, showing the screwshank of the rake-head engaged with the han- 4o dle of the implement. Fig. 6 represents one mode of securing the braces to the handle.

Figs. 7 and Srepresent substitutes for the sheetmetal cap.

In the more simple form of my rake a sin- 5 gle piece of wire is so bent and shaped as to constitute the head A, teeth B, and braces C C, as seen in Fig. 1, the peculiar arrangement of these component members of the implement being as follows: The head proper is preferably straight from end to end, but is bent at regular intervals, as at a, where the teeth occur, at which points the wire is bent down and then doubled back on itself, so as to afford two thicknesses of metal, which rendersaid teeth B very strong and rigid. Furthermore, a slight bend or nick ismade at the mid-length of the head, where the staple d is driven into the end of a suitable handle, D,which bend or indentation prevents lateral shifting of said head A. The two opposite ends of the wire are bent rearwardly and toward each other, thereby forming curved or angling braces C C, the extremities of which are inserted in handle D, as shown. These ends of the braces may be soldered to a ferrule applied around the handle; or they may be bent or clinched against the sides of the latter, as seen in Fig.

6; or they can be fastened in any other suitable manner; but, if preferred, the staple cl may be omitted, and the wire at the mid-length of the head maybe doubled rearwardly and then twisted so as to form a male screw, E,capable of penetrating the end of handle D, as shown in Fig. 5. A rake thus formed will be-st-rong enough for ordinary lawn or garden purposes; 7 5 but for more severe service the construction. shown in Fig. 2 is preferred. Here the rakeheadis represented as surmounted witha sheetmetal cap, F, applied to said headin the manner shown, and crimped around the teeth B B at f, thereby increasing the strength and durability of the implementwit-hout adding materially either to the weight or cost of man ufacture. In this illustration the head is shown as being composed of two separate wires, A A, from which the respective teeth B B project in the same manner as do the teeth seen in Fig. 1, the inner ends of these wires A A being twisted together so as to form a malescrew shank, E. Furthermore, the braces C C may in this case be composed of a wire distinct from the head A; or each of said braces may be a separate wire.

The brace C may have an eye, G, to engage over a slight outward prolongation of the wire 5 A 5 or the same result may be effected by bending the front end of the brace C around the extremity of the cap F and the outer tooth, B, and then tying said brace at G.

The'modification represented in Fig. 3 is esi'oo sentially of the same construction as the rake shown in Fig. 1, with the exception that in the present case the two extremities of the wire are inserted in the ferrule end of the handle, while the braces O 0 form a continuous or unbroken curve, which curved member is secured to said handle by a staple, d.

In Fig. 4 the teeth B are first formed in precisely the same manner as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but are subsequently twisted so as to impart to them a spiral form. When the teeth are thus twisted together the various sections A A A of the head may be composed of separate wires, thus enabling the utilization of short pieces of stock that would otherwise be thrown into the scrap-pile. It the head is constructed in this sectional manner, the outer members of the same must be attached to the handle either with the braces seen in Figs. 1 or 2 or otherwise.

In Fig. 7 one substitute for the cap F is shown as composed of a wire, H, applied directly under the head A, and having eyes or loops h, that surround the rake-teeth, the ends of said wire being secured either to the outer teeth or to said head, as may be most convenient. Another substitute for the cap is seen in Fig. 8, where two ties, I I, are employed,

said ties being preferably made of wire and so bent as to embrace the front and rear of the teeth B. These wires may be securely soldered together between the teeth, or they may be united when the rake is galvanized. Finally, the head A, teeth B B, and braces G G, in-

stead of being made of a single piece of wire, as

seen in Fig. 1, may be composed of two or more pieces of the same twisted together throughout their entire length, the teeth thereof being either straight or spiral; but if the latter construction is adopted it is evident the teeth will be formed of at least four pieces of wire.

It will be seen that either of the above-described constructions obviates the use of rivets, solder, or other weak joints at the junctions of the head and teeth, and consequently my implement will not be liable to break or lose its proper shape, although it is much lighter than the usual form of metallic rakes.

I am aware it is not new to rivet rake-teeth into a metallic bar or head, as such implements have been in public use for many years, but their weight has rendered them inconvenient for cleaning gardens, lawns, and other light work. Furthermore, I am aware it is notnew to apply wire-teeth to wooden rake-heads, as such arrangements are seen in several patents; but I know of no instance where the teeth have been made integral with the wire or wires composing the head of the implement, and have been bent and doubled so as to afi'ord additional strength, and it is to this novel feature of construction that my invention is confined.

I claim as my invention 1. A rake the teeth of which are formed by bending and doubling the wire or wires composing the head of the implement, as herein described.

2. A rake the teeth of which are formed by bending and doubling the wire or wires composing the head of the implement, the ends of said head being extended rearwardly toconstitute integral braces, as herein described.

3. The spiral teeth B, formed by bending, doubling, and twisting the wire or wires composing the head A of a hand-rake, as herein described.

4. The braces O U and twisted teeth B, formed of the same piece of wire, A, composing the head of a hand-rake, as herein described.

5. The sheet-metal cap F, applied to the head of a rake and crimped around the teeth at f, for the purpose herein described.

6. A stiffening device applied to the bent and doubled teeth of a rake, said teeth being integral with the wire or wires composing the head of the implement, as herein described.

7. The combination, in a wire rake, of head A, teeth B, braces O C, and crimped sheetmetal cap Ff, as herein described.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

PATRICK \V. COLLINS.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. LAYMAN, FRED. J. MEYERs. 

